ADAPT MEETS WITH CLINTON

Thirty national disability rights `groups`, among them ADAPT, met with President Clinton on Tuesday, July 27 to discuss Clinton's agenda on disability issues. Clinton and the disability `groups` agreed the three main issues at this point are ADA, Health Care and Personal Assistance Services. The President confirmed his strong commitment to enforcement of the ADA and opposition to weakening of the law, something that has been rumored to be in the wings. He also affirmed his commitment to including people with disabilities in health care reform.

Mike Auberger, national organizer for ADAPT, presented the piece on personal assistance services. Auberger outlined the concern of ADAPT, and the disability community generally, with the current promotion of a states rights approach to community based services. Right now our nation warehouses over two and a half Million people with disabilities in nursing homes and other in stitutions at a national cost of approximately $140 Billion each year. Over half our states have chosen not to provide attendant services at any real level, while all have significant nursing home programs. A national attendant services program MUST: (1) be mandated, and (2) have minimum standards below which a state cannot fall. Challenging the President to stop the warehousing of people with disabilities in these institutions, Auberger said "you have the ability, and hopefully the desire. ADAPT challenges you to free people."

Though the meeting was scheduled for 20 minutes, it went on for an hour. Clinton began the meeting with a relay call to Senator Harkin’s brother (who is deaf) in honor of Monday's deadline for a national relay service.

As Auberger left the White House he thought of the irony that ten years ago he and other ADAPT members had lain in that very street (Pennsylvania Ave.) blocking buses with their bodies for the right to ride. Protests got ADAPT into this meeting and clearly protest will bring us victory.

Author

Incitement

Created on

Tuesday 16 July 2013

Posted on

Tuesday 10 September 2019

Tags

ADA, cost of nursing homes, Harkin's brother, health care, Mike Auberger, minium standards, national attendant services program, national mandate, PAS, personal attendants, President Bill Clinton, Senator Tom Harkin, White House

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